surround

verb

/səˈraʊnd/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they surround	/səˈraʊnd/ /səˈraʊnd/
he / she / it surrounds	/səˈraʊndz/ /səˈraʊndz/
past simple surrounded	/səˈraʊndɪd/ /səˈraʊndɪd/
past participle surrounded	/səˈraʊndɪd/ /səˈraʊndɪd/
-ing form surrounding	/səˈraʊndɪŋ/ /səˈraʊndɪŋ/

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to be all around something/somebody
- surround something/somebody Tall trees surround the lake.
- the membranes surrounding the brain
- be surrounded by something The garden is surrounded by a wall.
- As a child I was surrounded by love and kindness.
- I loved being surrounded by enthusiastic young people.
- be surrounded with something The lake is surrounded with trees.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- completely
- entirely
- totally
- …
preposition
- with
See full entry
to move into position all around somebody/something, especially so as to prevent them from escaping; to move somebody/something into position in this way
- surround somebody/something Police surrounded the building.
- surround somebody/something with somebody/something They've surrounded the building with police.
Extra Examples
- Will found himself immediately surrounded by screaming fans.
- On one occasion, armed guerrillas surrounded their jeep.
- Troops fanned out to surround the camp.
- He has now surrounded his house with barbed wire.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- completely
- entirely
- totally
- …
preposition
- with
See full entry
surround something/somebody to be closely connected with something/somebody
- publicity surrounding the divorce
- the controversy/circumstances surrounding his death
- The report explores the issues surrounding the case.
surround yourself with somebody/something to choose to have particular people or things near you all the time
- I like to surround myself with beautiful things.

Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘overflow’): from Old French souronder, from late Latin superundare, from super- ‘over’ + undare ‘to flow’ (from unda ‘a wave’); later associated with round. The current noun sense dates from the late 19th cent.

surround

noun

/səˈraʊnd/

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enlarge image
a border or an area around the edge of something, especially one that is decorated
- a fireplace with a tiled surround
Topics Buildingsc2
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘overflow’): from Old French souronder, from late Latin superundare, from super- ‘over’ + undare ‘to flow’ (from unda ‘a wave’); later associated with round. The current noun sense dates from the late 19th cent.